It Should Not Be
by Shinikuryuu
Summary: Orihime loves Ulquiorra, but she doesn't know why. Crackfic. Rated T to be safe
1. I love you

-1Orihime sat in the white room numbly. How long had she been in the hollow world? She couldn't tell-- alone in this boxed in room. She hated everything. The neatly pressed white dress. The white sheets on the white mattress on the white bed on the white carpet. In the white room.

She hated it all. Except him. He had an attraction to him-- alien as it was. His marble skin and ebony hair. His emerald eyes and slitted pupils. The lines down his face-- like a path of painted tears. She did not hate him. Quiet and seemingly emotionless as he was, Orihime could not hate him. As much as she wanted to for putting her in this emotional cage, she couldn't.

She had been too nervous to confess this love to him, however, and her gazes watched blank features. Her awkwardly voiced thanks fell on deaf ears, her blushes unseen. She watched him constantly.

Orihime was startled from her musings when the door opened. She looked up into his eyes. Eyes that never failed to hold her attention. Eyes that showed no liveliness-- yet overflowed with emotions hard to explain in mere words.

"U-Ulquiorra-san." She stuttered, awed by him. He had someone behind him pushing a cart with some food.

"Aizen-sama ordered us to bring you food and make sure you eat it." He voiced, showing no emotion.

"Thank you." She said quietly. "But… I'm not hungry." Orihime blushed and looked at the white floor.

"Leave." He ordered the person behind him. "Leave the cart and the food."

"Y-Yes sir." The befuddled servant replied.

As soon as the door was closed, he turned to her.

"Something is troubling you." He said to her, actually showing some concern in his voice. "Tell me."

Orihime looked into his eyes, tears forming in hers. "Well, I-" She broke off and took a long, shuddering breath, "I feel like I should hate you. Like I should hate you with the very fibers of my being. I should hate you for bringing me here." She took in another large breath. "But, I don't. I don't hate you. I… I…" She looked down. "I love you." She whispered almost inaudibly.

The hollow sat next to her. "You shouldn't. We're too different."

Orihime was startled. He hadn't said she shouldn't love him because he didn't love her, just that they were too different.

"You're human," He explained, "I'm a hollow. We're a different species entirely."

"You're wrong." She said to him, looking back up, "You were once human. Besides," She said, laying her hand on top of his and fitting her small fingers in between his. "Our hands can fit. So long as our hands fit, we're the same." She raised it to eye level. Ulqiorra stared at their clasped hands.

"That is what was bothering you?" He questioned softly. "It isn't that you are surrounded by hollows in an alien world. That you're imprisoned in this white room. Its that you love me and shouldn't?"

"Well, those as well," She reasoned with an embarrassed smile. "But, I've made peace with that."

Ulquiorra smiled. Yes, b Ulquiorra /b smiled. Orihime had never seen something so heartwarming. The smile seemed fragile, like it could break into a grimace at any given time. But it was heartwarming, never the less. She smiled back.

It was not to last, however, as he remembered why he was in the room. He gently pulled his hand out of her loving grip and picked up the plate. Setting it on her lap, he handed her a fork.

"You should eat." He said softly. "Dying will do nobody good."

Orihime's smile faded. She looked at the meal with sad eyes. She speared a morsel and put it in her mouth. She chewed slowly, wondering if hollows ate real food like this.

"Ulquiorra-san," She began, "Do you eat food like this?"

"No." He replied blankly.

"Oh." She said in slight surprise. She knew that Aizen had to eat, but she had never known if hollows ate food. It didn't take her long to finish, and Ulquiorra left soon after.

"Thank you." She whispered as he closed the door.

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Ulquiorra thought about what the woman had said. She loved him. Why? He had no particular features to him. At least, not as far as he knew. Yet, she was still in love with him. He put his hands in his pockets and walked down the hall. He had put her in an impossible situation, taken her to an unfamiliar place, and threatened to kill her friends.

But she did not hate him.

He furrowed his brow. Had he been this full of emotion as a human? His emotions were rare and fleeting, often thought to be non-existent. He was an arrancar-- The third most powerful and dangerous of hollows.

But she loved him.

_Love. _Ulqiorra thought, discontent beginning to bubble in his thoughts. _What is love? Why is it that this human woman feels it towards me? Why do humans feel it so strongly? Why don't we_

Ulquiorra closed his eyes anr rubbed the lids. Never had a simple human caused him so much… thought. This was a trying business. Aizen-sama had said this would be easy. All he had to do was bring the woman food. Now, it was turning into something he couldn't understand.

_If Grimmjaw saw me now… _He thought bitterly to himself. He stopped however, knowing that Grimmjaw always managed to make an appearance when he was spoken or thought of. Ulquiorra sighed, wondering what he would do next. Aizen-sama only told him to bring the woman food. Now that that was done, there was nothing to do. Should he talk to her?

Ulquiorra sighed again, knowing that what he was about to do would, inevitably, have consequences. Major consequences. He approached the door again and raised his hand to knock. Then lowered it. Then raised it again. After an awkward moment passed, he tapped slightly on the door.

He heard nothing and turned the knob. Orihime was sitting on the bed, staring out the small window at the moon.

"U-Ulqiorra-san!" she stuttered, standing up. "I-uh, um, well, you see,"

He motioned for her to be quiet.

"Explain something to me." He said. It wasn't really a request, but it wasn't an order, either. "What is love, exactly?"

Orihime looked startled at his request.

"Well, um, I- don't know." She softly admitted. "Its just- a feeling. Its like, as long as the one whom you love is here, everything is okay. And that your problems aren't really that bad. It just feels like no matter what you say, they'll understand."

Ulquiorra nodded.

"Then tell me this: why do you love me?" He inquired.

Orihime didn't answer for a moment.

"It seems like you aren't all you seem." She explained.

"I don't understand."

"Well, you see," She began again, "to me, it seems like you would have a lot to say, but you need someone to say it to. I feel like I could listen."

Ulquiorra remained silent for a moment. This was a truly thought-provoking conversation.

"Can you tell me something else?" He asked.

"Alright."

"Will you listen to me now?"

She smiled, and tears of joy collected in her eyes.

"Yes."

He sat down next to her. This moment was slightly uncomfortable for the both of them, but he did not show it.

"Do you feel so strongly about anybody else?" He asked after a pause

"Yes," She confessed, "Kurosaki-kun."

"Why?"

"He's a lot like you."

Ulquiorra thought back to when he had come to the human world to kill Ichigo. It did not seem, to him, that he was anything like Ichigo.

"Ulquiorra-san?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"Did you ever love someone, or hate someone?" She asked, hoping he wasn't offended by her inquiry.

"I don't know." He said softly. "I don't remember."

He wasn't sure if he really wanted to talk at the moment.

"I- need to leave." He excused himself. He stood up and strode to the door.

"Wait!" Orihime begged. Crying, she ran to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Please, don't leave me. Its so lonely in this room. Just, please stay with me."

Ulquiorra took her hand in his.

"Don't cry, woman."

Orihime threw herself onto him, clinging to him while her tears soaked his shirt. Ulquiorra embraced the sobbing girl.

"Don't cry." He said.

He sat down with her still crying on his chest. He stroked her hair comfortingly, aware of a strange sensation in the back of his mind. He couldn't identify it. Maybe this was the love she spoke of. Several minuets passed with them still in this embraced.

"I should leave." He whispered, feeling her shudders dying down. "You should rest."

He gently pulled Orihime to her feet and guided her to her bed. Her face was still buried in the fabric of his shoulder. He pried her from this embrace carefully and layed her on the bed. She looked up into his cold emerald eyes and saw something in them. It wasn't really something about the eyes themselves, but rather something behind it. There seemed to be a liveliness-- emotion, if you will-- to them. She contemplated the thought as he left.

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Alright, crackfic. Its really just a bit of a drabble, but I kind of like it. My first shot at romance. Leave a reveiw for me please!


	2. Why?

**celestialshrinemaiden: I'm glad you liked it! I was worrying SO much that Ulquiorra OOC-ness would ruin it!**

**ELLIE31773: Here it is! I got it in as soon as I could **

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She knew she shouldn't love him, that she should love Kurosaki-kun instead. But somehow, somehow, she was attracted to him. It wasn't right for her to love one such as him, yet Orihime couldn't help it. He seemed like a bird in a cage, itching to fly.

And then there was Aizen. He was his metaphorical captor. Ulquiorra was kept in the cage of his orders. Aizen Souske. That manipulating demon would rip a bird's wings off just to watch it fall. His malice and power had caged every single arrancar, from the espada to the inconsequential gillan, but especially him. Ulquiorra. His jade eyes held no emotion, yet were swimming with it. The lines that ran down his face, like stains from colorful tears only made it seem even more so.

The very thought of him set her heart into a frenzy of irregular beats. Staring into his blank eyes made her breath catch in her chest. Yes, she was infatuated with him. And yet, it seemed as though they would never be together. He wasn't human. She was a prisoner, "fondly" referred to as pet-sama.

Orihime was brought out of her musings when the lights went out. She sighed as she was plunged into darkness. Sleep was difficult to obtain, and fitful. She would always dream about one of them. Ichigo or Ulquiorra. Or both of them. She did not like the times when they were together, because they fought each other mercilessly over her.

She loved them both, yet it seemed as though she could have neither. Orihime rolled onto her side, her thoughts afire with images of the two. Slowly, her mind began to drift, and she fell asleep.

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Ulquiorra opened the door when he felt her reiatsu settle. It was easy to tell when one was asleep or conscious from their reiatsu. In wakefulness there would always be tremors, slight fluctuations in it. But in sleep, the fluxes turn to ripples, so small, they're near inconsequential.

He was supposed to stand guard outside, but he found it so very dull. Even though observing a sleeping girl was not much more entertaining, it was better. She never noticed him watching.

She was often quiet in her sleep, aside from the times where she would awaken from some sort of nightmare. She would always sit up, and Ulquiorra would crouch down. She would always stay upright for a bit, then return to her slumber.

Ever since they had spoken before, when he had held her to himself as she wept, awkward as the moment was, he had felt something. Ulquiorra had lost many nights of sleep trying to puzzle it out and had come to a conclusion.

He was in love.

Ashamed as he was to admit it to himself, he harbored affection for the girl.

I This thing called love… /I He thought to himself as he watched her chest rise and fall rhythmically, I Why is it I feel it for this person? What stirred it/I He leaned against a wall and slid to the floor, leaving himself in a sitting position. With these many thoughts going through his head, he did not notice himself drifting to sleep. Nor did he notice a certain blue-haired espada looking through the window, eyes glinting with a look of pure malice.

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Grimmjow had seen a lot of things before, but NEVER had he seen such a dignified espada such as Ulqiorra not only defy his orders, but also fall asleep on the job. He snickered. This was going to be interesting. Should he go to Aizen and tell him, or torment the quatro espada? He settled on neither, preferring to savor the moment. He would decide later. For now, he would just watch.

It wasn't very interesting, however, and soon he grew terribly bored. He yawned and stood up, his balance on the window sill rather precarious. Deprived of any sort of fun, he left the two in the room alone.

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Orihime looked at the person before her in disbelief. They were both silent, neither wanting the moment to cease. She reached out to him and he smiled warmly. In turn, he reached to her. Their hands met and he pulled her to his chest. She stayed there, her head resting on his chest. He touched her face lightly, and tears came to her eyes. She hadn't felt warmth of this kind in so long it hurt.

He stroked her hair affectionately, and she looked into his wonderful brown eyes. His shock of ruffled orange hair brought such a pleasant feeling to her.

"Kurosaki-kun…" She murmured quietly, joyfully. Was this real? It seemed so good. Too good. Her face fell as she realized it was a mere dream, and nothing more. "I wish this was real." She said sadly, not wanting to look at his face. But it felt real. She could feel the touch of his skin, the softness of his hair. She could smell him, and it smelled like he did.

So how could it not be real?

"It is real." He whispered to her. She looked up to gaze into his eyes, but her gaze met gold. Gold and black, filled with malice. She jerked back from him, frightened.

"K-Kurosaki-kun?" She stuttered in fear. What was this? She saw floating white globs forming a mask over his face, and he laughed maniacally. She screamed-

And woke up. The frightened girl sat bolt upright, panting heavily. It took quite a while for her pounding heart to settle, and then she received yet another shock.

Ulquiorra was in the room. Yes, slumped against the wall was the quatro espada.

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**Dun-dun-dun! Ulquiorra got caught. Yes, the thing with Grimmjow was a filler. Had to include espada number 6. Not sure where this is heading... I should be doing my homework right now XD**

**The thing where Ulquiorra watches her sleep is something my friend on Deviantart did, I just kind of borrowed it. The part about Aizen and ripping off bird wings is from a fanfic where Rukia was apparantly fighting Shirosaki in Ichigo's world.**


	3. Dance with me

-1**ELLIE 31773: Thanks for sticking with it!**

**MistressMizu: sorry about the sappiness. I tried my best**

**Matt505: I know! Man, the cool ones always have to be so hard to write about**

**I can't reply to every review because I deleted all my e-mails, but I want to thank the people who have favorited my story and written reviews! Anyways, I'm sooooooooooooooooooo sorry about writing this so late. I'm having trouble actually writing a plot, and I may conclude it with this one. Not sure, I'll need ideas before I can actually write one.**

Orihime tried to settle her frantic breathing as the looked at the Espada against the wall. He looked so nice when he was asleep. He looked almost happy. To say the least, he looked peaceful. She stifled a gasp as he stirred, pretending to sleep. She calmed her pounding heart and allowed herself to breathe in deep, even breaths. Peeking from under the sheets, she didn't see him by the wall and assumed he had slipped out.

Sitting up, she heaved a disappointed sigh.

She jumped as a voice behind her said softly, "You're awake." Turning, she saw Ulquiorra perched on the windowsill above her head.

"Ulquiorra-san!" She exclaimed, "I-" She stopped as he held his forefinger to his lips. "What?…" She asked, befuddled.

He jumped down, landing without a sound. "Come with me," he held out his hand. Still confused, she obliged and took his hand. Ulquiorra gently pulled her to her feet. Silently, he led her out of her room.

"Where are we going?" Orihime whispered to him.

"Just come with me," He said in an equally quiet voice. No further words were exchanged as they moved along. She tried to memorize the route they took, but found it impossible due to the never-ending identicalness of the whole building. After a while of walking, they came to a large room with the same white-tiled floors that the whole place had. It was lit dimly by light filtering through large windows.

"Dance with me," He breathed in her ear. She gave a slight gasp as he placed his right hand on her waist, not entirely comfortable with that sort of contact. He moved her left hand to his shoulder and held her right hand out to the side slightly. Orihime smiled as she recognized the dance he wanted to perform: the waltz.

"I'm not a very good dancer," She whispered, looking meekly at her feet.

"You don't have to be," He replied softly, "Just try to follow my lead."

Orihime smiled as they swayed in unison, trying not to step on his feet. She found it strange that he would perform a European dance, but simply assumed that he had been European when he was still living.

"You dance really well," She murmured, looking up at him. He didn't smile, but instead looked at her with a fond look on his face.

"Thank you." He replied quietly. "You follow well."

She blushed and looked at her feet. Ulquiorra placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. Without warning, he kissed her. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she allowed him to. He pulled her closer, so that they were in sort of a kiss-hug position. She didn't know how long they remained like this, but it didn't matter. After some time, he pulled away and led her back to her room.

"Thank you for that, Ulquiorra-san." She said with a warm smile.

He nodded wordlessly and slipped quietly out of the room. She sighed contentedly and lied down to sleep once more.

**Again, sorry for the late post. I've really had very little interest in my fics, so shrugs**

**Anyways, this ones pretty short, because I can't really think of anything. Toodles!**


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